Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain confirmed there would be personnel changes as a result of the Catalan club’s failure to win a trophy for the second consecutive season. In an interview with Barca TV, Begiristain described Barcelona’s performances this season as “poor,” adding: “If we had got to [the Champions League final in] Moscow, almost nothing would have changed.” Barca suffered a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Manchester Untied in the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday.
“Not winning any trophies has been a big disappointment, given the big names we’ve got, but the image on the poster is one thing and the performance the players actually give is another,” Begiristain said, adding ominously: “The blame lies with the players, the coaches and the technical staff. Everything has been prepared and will be done in time. The changes will take place at the end of the season.”
Among those expected to leave are former two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, France striker Thierry Henry, former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, Portugal midfielder Deco, and defenders Lilian Thuram, Gianluca Zambrotta and Rafael Marquez. Also, Coach Frank Rijkaard does not expect to be at the helm much longer, either, if recent comments made by a colleague are to be believed.